Improvement in refining sugars



FRANZ O. MATTHIESSEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN R'EFINING SUGARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,242, dated April 20, 1875; application filed April 8, 1875.

CASE A.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ O. MA'rTHIEs- SEN, of New York, N. Y., have invented certain Improvements in Refining Sugar, of which the following is a specification:

My improvement relates to a modification in that process of refining sugar whereby the entire product resulting from the boiling of the clarified sugar-liquor in the vacuum-pan is converted into coiiee-sugar without leaving any residuum in the form of sirup.

As I have invented several modifications of that process for which I am about applying for patents, I shall, for convenience, designate the present application as Case A.

My invention consists in discharging the sugar-mass from the vacuum-pan into a mold or molds, from which, after it has been allowed to cool and harden, the sugar-mass is removed and disintegrated. and in this condition is subjected to gentle heat in mono, until nearly all the water contained in the material operated upon is evaporated, and it acquires the condition of a granular mass, substantially like what is known as cofieesugar, the slight portion of sirup present being adherent to the crystals.

In the original process the sugarmass Was discharged from the vacuum-pan directly into a vacuum-ch amber; but in this case I find that there is liable to be some caking in thetrays, and the grain of the resulting sugar is not entirely free. By my present improvement in the process the sugar-mass discharged from the vacuum-pan is allowed to cool and harden, and is then mechanically disintegrated prior to its subsequent treatment by-heat in vacuo. The cooling process occupies some twelve hours or more, and when the sugar-mass is cold and hard the disintegrating operationwhich is effected by sharing or scraping machines--takes some further time. In addition to this, the material, being cold, has to be reheated to the desired temperature for evap oration.

In the original process, the sugar-mass being discharged from the vacuum-pan directly into the trays in the vacuum-chamber, the treatment in the vacuum-chamber occupied but a short time-say, from a half an hour to one hour and a halt, according to the quantity of water present in the sugar, and the temperature at which it was discharged from the vacuum-pan. There is more delay in conducting the process according to the modification herein described, but the result is the production of free-grain coffee-sugar.

I make no claim herein to the process of manufacturing coffee-sugar by the immediate subjection of the sugar-mass discharged from the vacuum-pan to division and evaporation in vacuo, as that is the subject of another patent; but

VVh-at I do claim as my invention is- The improved process of producing freegrain coffee sugar herein described, which consists in cooling and hardening the sugarmass discharged from the vacuum-pan, and then disintegrating it by mechanical means, and subjecting it to gentle heat in cacao until nearly all the water it contains is evaporated,

and it acquires the condition of free grain coffee-sugar, as set forth.

F. o. MATTHIESSEN.

Witnesses:

ISAAC ROMAINE, E. N. PENNINGTON. 

